The Gift

    This one is a really special one for me as it was a true gift from beginning to end.  A few months back some 'Squam moms' got together and purchased a gift certificate for a newborn session for Tami.  I was particularly interested in how her birth would go because she, like me, had a caesarian birth for her first.  Tami was awesome at keeping me posted on how things were going with her pregnancy and the internal battle in her mind to decide what route she wanted to take with the birth of this one.  A battle I have in my mind all the time although another birth is quite a ways off for me.  She was scheduled for another caesarian in mid-December, but as the time grew closer she decided to trust her instincts and let her body guide her through it and that date came and went.....so did the due date.... Days passed but Tami unwavering waited patiently for her body to let her know it was time.  That time finally came on Christmas of all days!  Tami, herein referred to as 'my hero', gave birth naturally, without the use of any drugs on Christmas morning, and was home in time for Christmas dinner with her beautiful new baby girl Emi.  What a gift indeed! 

    We also had to capture a few of her doting big sister Kauri.  She was so helpful during the shoot and I just looooved the one I caught of her showing off her goggles for me! 

Thank you Tami for being a hero, for trusting your body & giving me hope that next time I might also be lucky enough to have that opportunity. 

Gratitude

  Not a day goes by that I don't wake up feeling grateful for all that I have.  A healthy happy child.  A wonderfully supportive partner.  A warm safe place to call home in what I think is the most beautiful place on Earth. Fabulous family & friends..... none of this escapes me.  I've often contemplated, especially in that first year of my son's life, just how enormously difficult it would have been if I didn't have this amazing network in place.  No matter how wonderful of a day I've had with my son, once 7pm rolls around and his father walks in the door I feel a great sense of relief that I can have a bit of a  break.

  Back in December I got to thinking about how glad I am that we moved here.  The community in Squamish is one like I've never seen before.  I can't even express the warm fuzzy feeling it gives me to know that my son gets to grow up here.  That for him not only will tremendous natural beauty be the norm, but so will being part of a greater community that supports one another and has great pride in the place they call home.

 So, I began a search. A search for a way that I could use my passion to somehow be a greater benefit to this community.  There was no shortage of charitable organizations, and in the end I found one that really spoke to me & clicked with what I do professionally.

 The Open Door Society is a non-profit organization who's mission is to empower single mothers through emotional, physical & spiritual support.  Here in Squamish they support a number of women by giving them free childcare, including snacks and a lunch for all.  They also facilitate numerous workshops for the moms to learn about things that will help them both in their career as well as their personal life.  Possibly the most important part is they give these moms a network of support & a little bit of time for themselves.

  This is why I am VERY excited to announce that starting from January 1 2012, 3% of every shoot I do will be donated to The Open Door Society.  In addition, for every new 'like' my Grinning Weasel Photography Facebook page receives I will be donating 25 cents.  But that's still not nearly enough.  So come spring we're planning to have a photo session day for all the moms so they can have a nice portrait of their child, or them with their child....as any mom can attest we don't get many of those!  But we're still not done!!!  A plan is in the works to organize a Spring Mini Shoot from which ALL the proceeds would go towards Open Door in their fundraising efforts to send some moms to summer camp with their kids.

  If you'd like more information on The Open Door Society please visit www.opendoorgroup.org/
 

 This is my Thank You to everyone in this community that has welcomed me with open arms and shown me what it means to be able to call Squamish home.